OCZ DDR3 PC3 12800 Platinum 6GB Low Voltage Triple Channel Review

Conclusion:

The OCZ PC3 12800 Platinum 6GB kit did not disappoint! This set of modules was easily the fastest or highest performing in every test save one (PCMark Vantage total score). This is something that was expected going into the testing because of the tighter timings that the modules are designed to run at. Although specified to run at 7-7-7-24 with 1.65 volts, it took 1.7v to gain stability at the 1600MHz (800MHz) level. Even by playing with the subtimings the result was the same. This voltage requirement is not that far out of the realm of possibility, but falls outside the Intel recommended maximum voltage for the supplied voltage to the memory. Using this voltage as a maximum I was able to push the modules from 1600MHz to 1900MHz with just an increase in the subtimings. At this level I needed to run the memory at 9-8-7-28 to successfully pass all of the benchmarks. Not bad when you consider that this resulted in an 11 FPS increase in Left 4 Dead at 1024x768 and memory bandwidth of almost 32GB/s at the 1900MHz level. All with the voltage no higher than 1.7v. The Z3 XTC (Extreme Thermal Convection) heatspreaders allowed the heat to be dissipated effectively and the modules were cool to the touch under load - something not every set of modules can do effectively. When it comes to buying memory most of us do take price into consideration when deciding on a set of memory. It's nice if you can go out and buy the ultra-hot top-of-the-line modules for an ungodly amount of money, when something a little less pricey will work for you just as well. With these modules OCZ has you covered on the performance front, the looks front, the cooling and most of all, they have the price point covered with modules that run a cas latency of 7 at 1600MHz for 150 bucks. That's right 150 dollars for a 6 gigabyte set of high performance memory that delivers the goods. How can you go wrong?